Suicide Safety Plan
Discover the comprehensive guide on creating a Suicide Safety Plan. Understand the steps involved and download a free PDF to start planning today.
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What is a Suicide Safety Plan?
A Suicide Safety Plan is a pre-established, step-by-step guide that individuals dealing with suicidal thoughts or impulses can follow when experiencing a mental health crisis. It's a tool designed to help individuals identify their warning signs, use effective coping strategies, reach out to their social support network, and connect with professional mental health resources.
This plan is highly personalized and created collaboratively between the person at risk and a mental health professional or a trusted individual. It considers the individual's unique experiences, triggers, coping mechanisms, social connections, and available mental health resources. The plan aims to provide a clear path toward safety during a crisis when thinking might be clouded or decision-making abilities compromised.
The plan typically includes recognizing personal warning signs of a crisis, internal coping strategies that can be used without the need for external assistance, social contacts who can provide a distraction or support, professionals or agencies to contact in times of suicidal thoughts, and ensuring a safe environment by reducing access to lethal means of self-harm.
A Suicide Safety Plan often includes a list of reasons for living. These personal and positive affirmations can serve as powerful reminders when someone struggles with intense negative emotions or suicidal thoughts.
Suicide Safety Plans can exist in various formats, including paper documents or digital files. Today, there are even dedicated Suicide Safety Plan apps that help manage and share these plans efficiently. Regardless of its form, the plan should be easily accessible at all times to serve as an immediate lifeline during a crisis.
By offering a straightforward strategy that can be followed in times of distress, a Suicide Safety Plan can significantly aid in preventing a suicide attempt. It's important to remember that a Suicide Safety Plan is not a replacement for professional mental health treatment but an additional tool that can help manage crises as they occur.
This plan should be developed and implemented under the supervision of a mental health professional. If you or someone else is in immediate danger due to a suicide risk, it's important to call emergency services right away. Always seek the assistance of a healthcare professional for matters concerning mental health.
Printable Suicide Safety Plan
Download this Suicide Safety Plan to help guarantee the safety of your patients.
How does it work?
A Suicide Safety Plan is not merely a list of guidelines but a dynamic and personalized strategy aimed at helping individuals navigate through suicidal crises. It is developed through a collaborative process involving the person at risk, a mental health professional, or a trusted person.
The plan is organized as a series of sequential steps designed to safeguard the individual.
Step 1: Recognize warning signs
The person identifies thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that indicate a crisis might be imminent.
Step 2: Use internal coping strategies
The plan includes self-management strategies that can be employed without involving others.
Step 3: Social interaction for distraction
The individual lists friends or family who can offer a distraction from suicidal thoughts, even without discussing the crisis.
Step 4: Contact mental health professionals
Names, numbers, and addresses of mental health professionals or agencies are included for direct help.
Step 5: Ensure a safe environment
Strategies to limit access to lethal means of self-harm are developed.
Step 6: List reasons for living
Personal reminders of reasons to stay alive can provide crucial help in times of crisis.
By following these steps, individuals can better manage their crises. A physical or digital copy of the Suicide Safety Plan (such as a printable Suicide Safety Plan PDF) can be a lifesaver in these situations.
Suicide Safety Plan Example
While each Suicide Safety Plan is personalized, they usually follow a format that includes recognizing warning signs, reaching out to mental health professionals, using internal coping strategies, etc. A tangible or digital copy, like a Suicide Safety Plan PDF, can be beneficial. It allows for easy access and updates, making it an important part of any mental health toolkit.
We have included a sample template you can download to serve as a guide.
Download this Suicide Safety Plan Example:
When would you use this Template?
A Suicide Safety Plan comes into action at any point when someone is at risk of suicide. This risk could be identified due to a diagnosed mental health condition, such as depression or bipolar disorder, or a self-identified risk, such as experiencing overwhelming emotions, facing a personal crisis, or having a history of suicidal thoughts or attempts.
The plan is particularly crucial when the person starts noticing their warning signs. These signs act as a trigger for implementing the safety plan, thus pre-empting a full-blown suicidal crisis.
The Suicide Safety Plan can also be shared with trusted individuals, such as friends, family, or mental health professionals. Sharing the plan enables these individuals to provide effective support, as they know the warning signs and the steps to follow when the person at risk is in crisis.
Remember, the earlier the safety plan is initiated, the more effectively it can help mitigate the crisis. Hence, it's not a resource to be used only in the most dire circumstances but should be activated at the first signs of distress, making it a powerful tool in the ongoing management of mental health.
Benefits of a Suicide Safety Plan
Having a practical, personalized, and ready-to-use strategy can be incredibly beneficial when addressing mental health crises. This is precisely where a Suicide Safety Plan comes into play. This meticulously designed resource offers several advantages to those who might find themselves battling suicidal thoughts.
Let's delve deeper into some of these benefits that make a Suicide Safety Plan a crucial part of suicide prevention:
1. Promotes self-control
One of the key benefits of a Suicide Safety Plan is that it fosters a sense of self-control during moments of crisis. The plan provides step-by-step guidance, making managing their emotions and reactions easier when facing a suicidal impulse. This empowerment can often differ between acting on suicidal thoughts and seeking help.
2. Personalized care
Each Suicide Safety Plan is uniquely tailored to the individual's needs. This personalization ensures the plan is particularly effective for the person it's designed for, considering their unique triggers, coping strategies, support networks, and reasons for living.
3. Increased accessibility
The advent of digital platforms like the Suicide Safety Plan app or a PDF version ensures that the plan is accessible at any moment it might be needed. This constant accessibility makes it easier for the individual to use the plan whenever a crisis strikes, no matter where they are.
4. Enhances support
The Suicide Safety Plan is not just a tool for the individual at risk but also provides structured guidance for friends, family, and mental health professionals. It helps the support network understand how to respond effectively during a crisis and outlines clear actions they can take to offer help.
5. Provides structure
During a crisis, confusion and fear can exacerbate the situation. A clear, organized plan provides an actionable path to follow, providing a roadmap to navigate the clouded thinking that can often accompany suicidal thoughts.
Why use Carepatron as your Suicide Safety Plan app?
Carepatron is an excellent platform for managing your Suicide Safety Plan due to its intuitive design, accessibility, and security features.
User-friendly and Intuitive Design
With an easy-to-use interface, creating and updating a Suicide Safety Plan on Carepatron is simple. The platform guides you through each step of the process, making it easier for you to focus on the content of your plan rather than navigating complex software. Whether adding new coping strategies or updating your contacts list, Carepatron's intuitive design makes it a breeze.
Accessibility
Carepatron can be accessed from any device with an internet connection - your computer, smartphone, or tablet. This means you always have your Suicide Safety Plan within arm's reach, whether at home, work, or on the go. Furthermore, any updates you make to your plan on one device will be instantly available on all your other devices. This real-time updating feature can be crucial in a crisis, ensuring you always have the most current version of your plan available.
Sharing and Collaboration
With Carepatron, you can securely share your Suicide Safety Plan with your healthcare ]
provider, counselor, or trusted individuals in your life. They can then collaborate with you, directly providing their inputs, suggestions, and support through the app. This collaborative approach can be beneficial for creating and updating the plan, ensuring it is as comprehensive and effective as possible.
Data Security
Data security is a priority at Carepatron. They understand that a Suicide Safety Plan contains sensitive information, and they have implemented stringent security measures to protect your data. This way, you can rest assured that your information is safe and private, allowing you to focus on managing your mental health effectively.
In summary, Carepatron's user-friendly design, accessibility, collaborative features, and top-notch data security make it an excellent choice for managing your Suicide Safety Plan. It not only makes the process of creating and updating your plan easier but also ensures it's readily available whenever you need it.
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References
- Stanley B, Brown GK. Safety planning intervention: a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. 2012;19(2):256-264.
- Bryan CJ, Mintz J, Clemans TA, et al. Effect of crisis response planning vs. contracts for safety on suicide risk in U.S. Army soldiers: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2017;212:64–72.
- Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide. Washington, DC: Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense; 2013.
- Inagaki M, Kawashima Y, Kawanishi C, Yonemoto N, Sugimoto T, Furuno T, Ikeshita K, Eto N, Tachikawa H, Shiraishi Y. Interventions to prevent repeat suicidal behavior in patients admitted to an emergency department for a suicide attempt: a meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2015;175:66–78.
Commonly asked questions
Anyone who is at risk of suicide should use a Suicide Safety Plan, particularly those who have a diagnosed mental health condition, a history of suicidal behavior, or who self-identify as being at risk.
A Suicide Safety Plan should be used whenever a person is in crisis and experiencing suicidal thoughts. It can also be used as a preventative tool when warning signs of a crisis are identified.
The Suicide Safety Plan is a step-by-step guide to navigating through a crisis. It starts with recognizing warning signs and moves through internal coping strategies, social interaction, professional contact, and environmental safety measures, and ends with reminding oneself of personal reasons to stay alive.
